News

Judith Aston, Academic Partner on the Future Documentary Sandbox Project 'I Am Orion', has written a report on her work with artist and filmmaker Jeanie Finlay. It describes the research behind 'I Am Orion' and how it has led to the development of a new term to describe the outcomes of this research - 'wraparound filmmaking'. The report is available to read and download via the ORION website and has been released to coincide with the world premiere of the film ORION: The Man Who Would be King' at the Tribeca Film festival in New York.

In this report, 'wraparound filmmaking' is described as being filmmaking with extended content, which involves the application of audience research to create new possibilities for participation in the making and viewing of the film. Whilst it sits alongside other concepts such as transmedia storytelling and multiplatform production, it is articulated as a term to describe a rapidly developing area of practice, which until now hasn't been given a name.

There are numerous examples of live or event-based cinema plus a whole range of interactive extensions to films, which play out on the web or through installations work or live theatrical events. Wraparound filmmaking embraces all of these concepts and offers a general approach to offering a range of different ways in to the core themes of a film. At the heart of this is a desire to enhance engagement and participation by encouraging the audience to become more invested in the story. The intention is that the report will provide useful insights for the creative industries and have wider purchase beyond the specific work on 'I Am Orion'.